If Lane Kiffin stays at Ole Miss, where does Auburn coaching search turn next?

AUBURN — Reports surfaced Saturday morning indicating current Ole Miss coach and rumored Auburn football coaching candidate Lane Kiffin isn't coming to the Plains. Regardless, athletics director John Cohen still needs to make a hire.

"I think it's safe to say this morning that Lane Kiffin's Auburn candidacy is over and Hugh Freeze has emerged as Auburn's top candidate to become Auburn's next head coach," ESPN's Pete Thamel said on College Gameday. "... I was told this morning that the pull of (Kiffin's) family (wanting) to stay in Oxford had become an obstacle for both sides, and the courtship of Lane had cooled on both sides in the last 24 hours."

So where do the Tigers turn?

Additional reports say Auburn had zeroed in on making either Kiffin or Hugh Freeze its next coach. Freeze, who resigned as the coach at Ole Miss in 2017 after a scandal involving recruiting violations and using a university phoen to call numbers associated with escort services, has been the coach at Liberty since 2019.

Freeze was 39-25 over five seasons with the Rebels, but had multiple wins vacated after his scandal.

Since joining Liberty, Freeze has been rehabbing his image, as he's led the Flames to a 34-14 record and a 3-0 mark in bowl games, with another bowl on the way this season.

"This leaves the door open for Freeze. Sources told me that no offer has been made to Freeze yet ... but the expectation is that Hugh Freeze is going to be Auburn's next coach," Thamel said.

WILL HE STAY OR WILL HE GO?:Lane Kiffin likely to remain Ole Miss football coach | Reports

UNCLEAR:Auburn football or Ole Miss? Lane Kiffin makes sure we can't look away. Imagine that | Toppmeyer

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Another relevant candidate to watch is interim head coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who has impressed in his short time on the Plains. Williams, a popular former Auburn running back, is 2-1 as Tigers coach heading into Saturday's Iron Bowl after taking over for Bryan Harsin, who was fired Oct. 31, two days after a loss to Arkansas that dropped the Tigers to 3-5 on the season and 9-12 since his arrival to Auburn.

Williams has been a lightning rod for the fanbase since his promotion and a number of players have discussed how they would support him getting the full-time job. Williams, however, has time and again said he's not worried about the future, choosing instead to focus on the present because of the amount of work he has on his plate.

Williams could make an even stronger impression with a win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Defeating the Crimson Tide would not only make the Tigers bowl-eligible, but it would also mark the first time they have won a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium since Cam Newton led Auburn to a 24-point comeback in 2010.

Regardless of who the next coach is, the offer won't come until after the Iron Bowl has concluded, according to multiple reports.

Richard Silva is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: If Lane Kiffin stays, where do Tigers go?